‘A mirror image’: Like brother before him, Gonzaga’s Ryan Nembhard on short list of nation’s top point guards

Claude Nembhard was on the phone recently with youngest son Ryan at the same time older son Andrew was chatting with mom Mary – a fairly regular occurrence for the family.

“Andrew said he was just about to watch Ryan’s film,” the proud father said. “Ryan couldn’t have a better role model because Andrew has done this stuff at every level. When I watch them play, it’s like a mirror image.”

Especially when the Nembhard brothers operate in the pick and roll.

Gonzaga coach Mark Few coached Andrew, a third-year pro with the Indiana Pacers, for two seasons in 2021 and 2022, and now Ryan is off to a historic start in his second year as a Zag.

“We just lean on him so hard,” Few said. “It’s just an incredible luxury to have and hopefully he’ll start getting a little more love and attention on the national scene because he’s something.

“You need to ask Claude about that (pick-and-roll prowess), but I would guess Ryan really watched Andrew a lot. They’re both at the highest level you can be in pick and roll, college or pro quite frankly, with their decisions. And the windows they can put the ball in, those are not big windows.”

According to OptaSTATS, Ryan Nembhard and Chris Paul are the only players this century across the NBA, WNBA and Division I men’s and women’s basketball with 50-plus points, 40-plus assists and five or fewer turnovers in their team’s first four games. Ryan’s four-game totals were 51 points, 40 assists and five turnovers.

He’s at 61, 47 and six in third-ranked Gonzaga’s 5-0 start.

“I don’t get too excited about some of this stuff, but that’s pretty cool,” Claude said. “I sent that to some friends. Chris (Paul) is Andrew’s guy, one of his favorite players of all time.”

During a visit to the Kennel last February for the GU-Pacific game, Andrew saw another of his favorites.

“He’s one of my most favorite players to watch,” Andrew said after Ryan’s 18 points, 10 assists and just one turnover in 34 minutes. “He’s got an exciting game, super creative and he has good instincts out there. I just like watching him.”

We took Few’s advice and asked Claude about his sons’ uncanny ability in pick and roll. In true Nembhard fashion, he discussed his approach to coaching but repeatedly dished credit to other coaches, trainers and programs that have worked with Ryan and Andrew.

“We’ve been blessed to put them around good people,” Claude said.

Ryan’s take: “I’d probably just say my pops. Coach’s son, you know, just being around the game a lot as a kid, feel for the game. I just credit that to him.”

Early start

Claude put a basketball in Andrew’s hands at age 1. Andrew got a Fisher-Price basketball set on his first birthday.

“I can’t tell you how many nets we went through,” Claude said.

Ryan, three years younger than Andrew, also had a ball in his hands at 1 and both boys played introductory games at age 3, usually against 5-year-olds.

Soon they were competing in games to 11 in the basement of the family home in Aurora, north of Toronto. It was always Ryan and Claude vs. Andrew, and Andrew almost always won. It might have had something to do with the only rule: Ryan was required to score the 11th point.

“Andrew wouldn’t let him score,” said Claude, who coached the boys’ youth teams, including a two-year span when they were on the same team. “If we played 50 games, Ryan might win one or two, and he’d never let him hear the end of it.”

The games eventually moved to the hoop in the front yard and on organized teams, several coached by Claude.

“When I coached the kids early, I hated turnovers and valuing the ball is so important,” said Claude, the chief executive officer for the Ontario Basketball Association, the governing body for the sport in the province. “I was really adamant about good basketball, team basketball and sharing the ball.

“I grew up in a time when I was a big fan of (San Antonio) coach ‘Pop’ (Gregg Popovich) and five out, touch the ball for a half second and moving it.”

Claude utilized a coaching tool called Better Basketball with a progression of 15-17 steps. He also made sure assists didn’t go unnoticed.

“One thing in basketball now is everybody loves scoring,” he said, “but I was the guy that was yelling about the great pass. I wanted kids to be rewarded for that.”

Claude remembers one game in particular: Andrew scored 41 points and Ryan had two in a 43-42 win.

“Andrew back then was the big guy,” Claude said. “But they work so well together and Ryan was a good listener. Now it’s come to the point where Ryan helps his big brother, too.”

Pick and roll proficiency

Specific to the pick and roll, Claude points to Canada Basketball’s influence and the quality of Ryan’s and Andrew’s teammates along the way, from junior national teams to Montverde Academy in Florida to their college squads.

“Canada Basketball has been great for my kids,” Claude said. “They’ve run this stuff since junior academy, grades 7 and 8.”

Ryan and Andrew were naturals at point guard and always willing to learn from various instructors.

Asked what he sees when watching his sons in pick and rolls, Claude said, “It’s the IQ piece. If you get in the right spot, the middle ball screen, it’s really not that hard in the sense that if you hedge me, I have this option, if you don’t, I’m going to do this. It’s more reading what’s done to you.

“So it’s playing at your pace, and you have to be a good ballhandler, you have to have that ball on a string. It’s knowing whatever is done to me I have this counter. You can’t speed them up. If you want to play fast or slow, Ryan can do that.”

The Zags often run ball-screen actions with Ryan working off a perimeter screen from Graham Ike, Braden Huff or Ben Gregg. Andrew worked with Drew Timme, Chet Holmgren and Anton Watson. Gregg and Watson had at least one season with each Nembhard brother.

“The Nembhards are perfect for it (GU’s offense),” Gonzaga assistant coach Brian Michaelson said. “To have guys like (Ike, Huff and Gregg) really helps the way we want to play offense and Ryan delivering is the key.”

Claude noted that Ryan works closely with assistant coach Stephen Gentry on everything from film study to play options.

“With the added pieces around it this year, we’re hard to guard,” Claude said. “So many weapons – Graham, (Khalif) Battle, (Michael) Ajayi, Ben, Huff, (Dusty) Stromer, Nolan (Hickman). You have corner shooters, guys that can finish on the roll, pick and pop.”

Ryan is second nationally at 9.4 assists per game, behind Louisiana Tech’s Sean Newman Jr. (11.2). The Zags rank eighth in scoring offense (93.2) and first in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency.

“Nembhard is one of the best point guards in the country,” Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley said following an 88-80 loss to the Zags. “We pressured him and tried to turn him over, but we just couldn’t do it.”

Nembhard finished with 13 points, 11 assists and no turnovers in 36 minutes.

Ranking with GU’s best point guards

No one appreciates Ryan’s deft passing more than Gonzaga’s quartet of bigs – Ike, Huff, Gregg and Ajayi. The four average about 41 points per game.

“Just always a lot of thank yous,” Ike said. “And if we get him open he’ll get us open.”

Added Huff: “We’re going to set hard screens for him and he’s going to find us at the hoop. It’s a great tradeoff.”

Ryan is already first in the school record book for single-season assists with 243 last year while Andrew shares ninth with 184 in 2022. Ryan holds GU’s single-game record with 12 assists against Kansas in an NCAA Tournament game. Andrew is No. 2 with 11 assists vs. Georgia State.

“Those two are right at the top,” Michaelson said. “Obviously (Josh) Perkins was unbelievable. There’s a reason he’s our all-time assists leader. He could really see those plays. Obviously Kevin (Pangos) as he got older had it down pretty good.

“We’ve had a long history of guys, especially these last 10-12 years, that can really pass and obviously ‘Stocks’ (Hall of Famer John Stockton). Anyway you rank them, the Nembhards have to be in that top three.”

Claude doesn’t get too caught up with numbers and records. He said the national championship has always been Ryan’s and Andrew’s main goal. Andrew and the 2021 Zags won their first 31 games before falling to Baylor in the title game. Ryan’s first season with GU ended in the Sweet 16.

“My kids love the game, it’s not a dad making them play basketball,” Claude said. “That’s the biggest thing I can say.”